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The best accessories for Xbox Series X and Series S

0 5 min read
Ben Griffin / A Tribe Called Cars

Read on for 10 of the best accessories for the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, including headsets, monitors, controllers, and expandable SSD and HDD storage.

The Xbox Series X and Series S are the latest consoles from Microsoft and with them comes a new dawn of 1,080p 1,440p or 4K gaming, depending on which you buy.

Either way, expect faster loading times and a generally snappier experience – especially if you came from an Xbox One OG like me. Plus a whole host of other cool stuff I’ll talk about in greater detail in my full review.

Anyway bought a Series X or Series S? Well, here are ten useful accessories to help you get the best from them and enjoy those lazy gaming hours to the fullest. Hit that play button above.

1) Best accessories: A new TV or monitor

A new telly or monitor can make a huge difference to picture quality, especially now that the Xbox Series X can manage 4K and/or up to 120 frames per second. Even the cheaper Series S can manage 1,440p, which equates to 77 per cent more pixels on screen.

LG, Samsung and Sony make some quality television offerings that will display 120 frames per second at 3,840×2,160 pixels. Meanwhile, for a monitor there’s also the option of Acer, Alienware, AOC, Asus and Dell.

Bear in mind you get one HDMI 2.1 cable in the box, which is necessary for 4K 120Hz gaming and 8K 60Hz. Not that many of you will have an 8K-capable display as they are rare and expensive. Not to mention there’s barely any 8K content out there.

In any case, that resolution would be a nightmare for the fastest computer money can buy. Let alone the admittedly powerful Xbox Series X.

Which is better, more pixels or more frames per second? Ideally, both. Some people prefer the detail of 4K, others prefer the extra smoothness of 60 and 120fps. What I will say is that games capable of 4K 120fps will see a graphics quality drop to compensate as the Series X is powerful but not that powerful.

2) SSD

The Xbox Series X uses a proprietary Seagate Storage Expansion Card solid state drive (SSD), which actually works out around the same price as a third-party equivalent.

It’s not cheap at £220. However, if you want to bolster your storage and maintain the same fast load times as the internal SSD this is the only way at the time of making that happen. Alternatively…

3) Mass storage

You get 1TB of speedy SSD storage out of the box if you went for the Series X and 512GB in the Series S. This will fill up, especially if you play Call of Duty, but luckily you can connect a cheaper external hard disc and store your games their until you need them, at which point you can bring them forward to the SSD.

Going this route means you can get multiple terabytes of space for less money than the official SSD card and the wait time to move a game is said to be bearable so that’s reassuring.

I tend to use Western Digital or Seagate as they’ve always been reliable for me, but there are other options such as Samsung, the company that makes some class-leading SSDs for PC.

4) Speakers / headphones

With enhanced audio coming from the Xbox Series X and Series S, it might be worth upgrading from standard TV speakers to something with surround sound. Or if you need to keep the noise down, a headset.

The standard Microsoft options are okay, yes, but it makes more sense to go for something from a third-party such as HyperX or Turtle Beach. Xbox One accessories work on the next gen Xbox so you may not need to upgrade at all.

I personally use the HyperX Cloud II headphones as they offer decent sound quality from the earphones and microphone as well as a snug fit and quality finish. Your budget and requirements may differ.

5) Customisation parts

I rather like the design of the new Xbox Series X, but then I did buy a PC case like it way before it was released. Maybe Microsoft has shares in SilverStone.

Anyway, the new Xbox will get warm just like any PC so I’m unsure how well a vinyl wrap will last. But I have to be honest, I’m mighty tempted by the options including the XtremeSkins offerings. Must. Resist. The. Pink. Option.

6) Fancy controllers

The Xbox Series X and Series S come with one new controller as standard. But if you crave a second, you have a lot of options including the Adaptive Controller designed for those with limited mobility.

There’s also the Elite 2, which now gets a one-year guarantee and that may come in handy given some of the reliability reports. And how much it costs.

I also like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro for retro games and the Razer Kishi or Moga XP5-X Plus for playing Xbox on the go in conjunction with the Xbox app.

7) Keyboard & mouse

As for a keyboard and mouse? Well, apparently it’s up to the developers to choose whether there is implementation. So some games will comply, some won’t. It’s good to know those that did on the Xbox One will at least work on Series X and Series S.

8) Rechargeable battery

Another useful extra for your controller is the rechargeable battery. I personally choose a Smatree third-party offering as these typically include two batteries of higher capacity, a two-slot charger and they fit inside the new Series X and Series S controller. You do lose the security of a Microsoft product should anything go wrong though.

9) Powerline adapter

Wireless connections can be problematic so it makes a lot of sense to go wired. To do this, you need an ethernet cable from your WiFi router to the new Xbox. These cables are cheap – just pick one that has decent reviews and is the right length.

If your router is too far or you cannot run a cable directly to the Xbox for another reason, try out a powerline adapter. These plugs basically use the electrical wiring of your home to transport a data connection and they have proven incredibly reliable for me. And no loss of speed.

Not all homes can support them, depending on the circuit, so buy from somewhere you can return them. Assuming everything works, you will need a short ethernet cable from one of the powerline adapter plugs to your new Xbox and another to go from the other powerline adapter to the router.

Powerline adapters with a pass-through plug is great as it means you can keep using that socket for something else, although they do cost a bit more. TP-Link is the brand I’ve used for years, but there are others.

10) Xbox GamePass Ultimate

Honestly, there are so many games you can stream on Xbox GamePass that it seems ridiculous not to give it a go. I actually signed up for £1 – just remember to set a calendar reminder before the month is up so you aren’t charged for any additional months if you dislike the service.

If there’s no deal, you can just use BoostGaming.com or buy from Microsoft directly though the website or console. The Ultimate GamePass includes Xbox Live so you can combine two payments into one.

Best Accessories: Xbox Series X & S product links